The Heretic of Cleric Academy-Chapter 97

Saaaaaah...

Heavy and thick fog flowed. Night birds perched on tree branches let out crude cries and took flight.

Even the wing beats of the night birds fleeing from the fog couldn’t disperse it, as it slowly devoured the forest.

Before long, the surroundings were filled with darkness infused with fog.

"Phew."

Ha Su-yeong wiped the sweat from her forehead and sighed.

The pale moon floating in the night sky she looked up at was being tinted purple, obscured by the fog. The scenery was eerie.

However, she felt pride before fear. This was because she had finished all of today’s practice.

"Su-yeong, you’re the only one who can revive Voodoo. You must become the cult leader. I’ll handle that 3rd cult leader bastard somehow, so you just need to keep preparing steadily..."

These were words she had heard from her father until her ears were calloused.

You must become the cult leader, you must become the cult leader...

Her father’s voice saying this was trembling.

Her father always longed for the golden age that Voodoo had experienced under the rule of 2nd cult leader Do Myeong-jun before its downfall. And he hated the current dark age of Voodoo under the rule of 3rd cult leader Do Seon-woo.

Seeing her father’s back, which had been broad and reliable, become pitifully small after the Holy War.

Seeing her father, who couldn’t hide his joy when talking about the 2nd cult leader, unable to hide his grief when talking about the 3rd cult leader.

Ha Su-yeong felt sadness.

It was then that she resolved to become the cult leader. Not her father’s will, but her own volition.

"..."

When she came to her senses after being lost in thought, the fog had already scattered and disappeared in the wind. The wind tousled her hair and swayed the tree branches.

Somehow the wind seemed stronger and sharper than before. The darkness had also deepened. It seemed better to return to the lodge soon.

Hoooooo...

The low cry of a night bird echoed. The sound flowed between trees on the wind, becoming even more eerie and melancholy.

Suddenly fear arose.

All the hair on her body was standing on end. The darkness of the mountains was never as kind as the darkness of the city.

Snap!

"...!"

While walking through the darkness, the sound of a dry branch breaking came from her feet.

The sound became an echo that eerily circled the surroundings.

"I’m not scared at all. What’s trying to frighten me over nothing..."

She took out her frustration on the innocent branch while walking through the darkness.

But no matter how much she walked, only darkness continued without any sight of the lodge’s light.

Even when she changed direction and walked, the result was the same. Everywhere she went was mountains and darkness.

She remembered that she had made marks on trees on the way here in case she got lost. If she followed those marks, she would surely be able to return to the lodge.

However, in the darkness, this tree was that tree and that tree was this tree. There was no way to know which tree she had marked.

She was lost.

Realizing this, the fear she had tried to ignore came rushing in like a tide all at once.

Rumble!

Then, thunder echoed. Sharp wind brushed her side. Thick, solid raindrops tapped her forehead.

Dark clouds that had gathered at some point obscured the moonlight. The mountain’s darkness deepened further.

Caw caw caw, caw caw caw...

The eerie cries of mountain beasts echoed. Ha Su-yeong shuddered and began running blindly toward the darkness where she couldn’t see even an inch ahead.

She fell and slipped several times, but felt almost no pain. Fear seemed to have numbed her nerves.

"Ah...!"

Finally, she saw light. Ha Su-yeong unconsciously let out an exclamation of joy.

The smile that had briefly appeared on her face was filled with despair again. She belatedly realized that the light that had appeared like a savior hadn’t come from the lodge.

Ha Su-yeong hid herself in the grass and looked at the light beyond. In an open circular plaza, candles were arranged in a circle.

The light she had seen seemed to have flowed from those candles.

And at the center of those candles, a man was standing.

Not on the ground, but stepping on air.

Rumble!

Lightning split the sky and thunder shook the earth. Ha Su-yeong covered her head in surprise but couldn’t take her eyes off him.

He, standing at the center of the candles, was definitely floating. Standing and stepping on air, not on the ground.

Whiiiiing...

When he gestured from mid-air, the wind direction changed. West wind became east wind. When he gestured again, the rainfall changed. Drizzle became heavy rain.

The violent storm that had been fierce enough to uproot the entire mountain repeatedly calmed down as quietly as a mouse and then became violent again.

Each time he gestured, the storm was reborn in a new form.

He was truly a commander governing the storm.

"...Do Seon-woo."

Ha Su-yeong knew his name. The current cult leader, and the cause of Voodoo’s downfall...

The man her father constantly badmouthed and cursed whenever he had the chance.

"If not for the Loa’s powers, youuuuuuu...!"

Boom!

Ha Su-yeong’s body suddenly flew up into the air as she was muttering to herself and making a firm resolution. It was due to a sudden strong wind.

Splash!

The wind carried Ha Su-yeong’s body and roughly threw her down in the center of the plaza.

"Ahhhhhh...!"

It hurt tremendously because she landed on her back. In the midst of pain, she felt a gaze.

She raised her head. Do Seon-woo was looking down at her from above. Ha Su-yeong had resolved to face Do Seon-woo with hatred and anger.

But when she actually faced him, fear came first.

"That’s enough."

Do Seon-woo said this while gently clenching his fist. Then the rain and wind stopped, and the thunder and lightning ceased.

The mountain that had been swept by the storm regained its original tranquility as if nothing had happened. In the silence, he rode the wind and lightly landed on the ground.

Ha Su-yeong just watched this scene. She felt a dizzying sensation as if unreality was overwhelming reality.

Without time to collect herself, Do Seon-woo began walking toward her.

* * *

[Getting tired already, "Ba"?]

[Of course, "So"! Save me!]

[Ahhhh... Ahhhhh...]

The three Loa who had confidently summoned the storm - Sobo, Bade, and Dan Wedo - were making groaning sounds.

"You can’t get tired already. I’m still perfectly fine."

However, it wasn’t time yet. I held onto the screaming Loa and forcibly used their powers.

Thanks to them being exhausted, I could use their powers more stably.

I could strike lightning at desired locations, control the thickness of rain, or use wind to lift my body.

After lifting my body with wind, I used the Blessing of Superhuman Strength to maintain balance. Only then did it take on an appearance worthy of the expression ’flying.’

It wasn’t intentional, but I ended up practicing Loa powers and the Blessing of Superhuman Strength simultaneously.

["So"! I see Baron Samedi...]

[Get a grip, "Ba"! That’s a hallucination!]

[Dying... Soon... Ahhh...]

[Prophet! Isn’t it about time to stop!]

"Endure just a little more. The offering is right in front of us."

The unruly ones made dying sounds and pleaded, but I firmly shook my head and refused.

I had made a kind of contract with them through prayer. I declared that if they listened well, I would give them offerings as compensation.

There was no better method for controlling Loa like Sobo, Bade, and Dan Wedo who were crazy about offerings. I had tamed Bosu the same way.

It’s similar to training a pet dog with treats.

"Now, really for the last time, just 5 more minutes!"

[How many times has this been the last 5 minutes!]

[Baron Samedi, please save me from this tyrant prophet...]

[Again... 5 minutes... Only death...]

The moment I declared the last 5 minutes to the completely exhausted Loa.

Rustle...

A familiar face was visible between the trees swaying in the wind.

It was the daughter of Ha Pan-seok, who was said to be prominently mentioned as the next cult leader.

She was hiding in the grass, secretly watching me handle the Loa.

"..."

A good idea occurred to me.

"Bade."

[Ahhh! Again, again! Why me again!]

Boom!

I used Bade’s power to create wind, lifting her hidden body and bringing her before me.

Thrown roughly to the ground by the wind, she looked up at me while trembling with fear.

"That’s enough."

I spoke to the Loa while making a gesture of clenching my fist toward the air. It was a hand signal meaning ’you may stop the storm.’

[I’m going to rest a bit! I absolutely won’t come even if you call for the next few days! No, for years!]

[Ah, my prayer has reached you! Baron Samedi!]

[Finally... Life...]

The voices of the Loa gradually faded, and the storm suddenly disappeared.

Although it was control through offerings, since these unruly Loa had come to listen to me well, I had achieved my intended purpose.

Feeling proud inwardly, I walked toward her who was sitting and staring at me blankly.

"Hello?"

I greeted her quite kindly. I even smiled. It was a smile hiding my true intentions.

"..."

She didn’t answer. She seemed unable to speak due to surprise.

It seemed I should say a few more words. I approached her with the brightest smile possible.

"What was your name? Ha..."

But I was stuck from the first word. I remembered that she was Ha Pan-seok’s daughter, but I couldn’t recall her name.

I think I definitely heard it from Kang Ji-ah earlier.

Ha, ha...

"Ha Su."

"...Ha Su-yeong."

"Right. Ha Su-yeong."

She replied shortly, seeming slightly offended.

Ha Su-yeong. Engraving that name in my mind, I continued.

"How did you end up here?"

"Practice."

"What practice?"

"Sorcery."

This child named Ha Su-yeong was very brief with words. She might be deliberately keeping her answers short.

I didn’t mind, but she seemed to view me unfavorably. It was probably due to the influence of her father Ha Pan-seok and the incident that occurred during the ’Starless Night.’

"But why are you still here instead of going back?"

"..."

Ha Su-yeong lowered her head without answering. Her expression wasn’t clearly visible in the darkness.

I brightened the light of the candles arranged in the center of the plaza. The vicinity became brightly illuminated with purple light.

Looking up at me with eyes that had grown round with surprise, there were wounds all over her body. Especially on her legs, the wounds on her knees were deep.

They seemed to be wounds from falling. There was a lot of dirt around the wounds.

"You got lost, didn’t you?"

I used basic restoration sorcery on her wounds. Basic restoration was the only sorcery I had reached the ’level of mastery’ in.

Without even a spell circle, the small wounds on her body were completely healed.

"You get lost when you go hiking at night."

At my words, Ha Su-yeong frowned.

"...That applies to you too."

"I can get back though."

"With the Loa’s powers?"

Hiding my slight surprise, I nodded. It was the first time hearing the words ’Loa’s powers’ from someone other than myself.

Well, since she was said to be mentioned as the next cult leader, she would naturally know this much.

"Right. With the Loa’s powers."

I extended my hand to her while continuing.

"Shall we go together? You can’t go alone anyway."

"I don’t want to."

Smack!

However, Ha Su-yeong slapped away my hand and coldly refused. The back of my hand stung.

"Why don’t you want to?"

"I hate guys like you."

"Oh... Why is that?"

It was a bit annoying that she kept saying ’you, you,’ but I endured it and asked back.

Ha Su-yeong brushed her disheveled hair while glaring at me sharply with cold eyes.

"Because Voodoo was ruined because of you."

"It’s not only because of me."

It wasn’t ruined because of me. When I became cult leader, Voodoo was already ruined. If Voodoo is ’still’ ruined because of me, then I have nothing to say.

Ha Su-yeong continued without even pretending to listen to my words.

"I should have become the cult leader."

Somehow the context of the conversation was strange. It felt like talking to an AI designed to only spit out predetermined answers.

This was also probably due to Ha Pan-seok’s influence. Ha Su-yeong had probably grown up hearing only such things from Ha Pan-seok since childhood.

"Did your father tell you that?"

At my words, Ha Su-yeong’s expression hardened. Her eyes, which had grown round, were staring intently at me. She looked as if asking how I knew.

She soon hardened her expression and shook her head.

"It wasn’t dad, I said it myself."

"Oh, okay."

I could feel firm determination and sharp hostility in her eyes. No matter what I said, she seemed to have no intention of listening.

I stopped the conversation and looked at Ha Su-yeong.

She was wearing shorts and a light purple sweatshirt. It was far from adequate clothing to ward off the cold. Even though it was spring, the night air was still cool.

Wet leaves were scattered messily on the plaza floor. I roughly gathered them with my toes.

"Marinette."

I used Marinette’s power. Flames rose above my palm.

Whoosh!

I transferred the flames to the leaves. Marinette’s flames caught fire well even on wet kindling.

Ha Su-yeong looked up at me as if puzzled.

"What are you doing?"

"To dry yourself off."

If I left her like this, she would freeze to death or be killed by wild animals.

Therefore, I had no intention of leaving her alone and returning to the lodge. The one who had sinned was Ha Pan-seok, not Ha Su-yeong.

I sat next to her and warmed myself by the fire. The hot warmth created by Marinette’s flames warmed my cold body.

"I hate guys like you."

Ha Su-yeong said again as if to emphasize. Even though I had even lit a fire for her to warm herself, she was still like this, so I was starting to get annoyed.

When I stared at her intently, she also stared back at me and continued.

"Is it fun playing cult leader? When you can’t do anything. Just relying on the Loa."

"I can use sorcery too."

"I’m better at sorcery. I should have become the cult leader..."

Ha Su-yeong said while frowning as if she found it very unfair that I was the cult leader.

At this rate, it would be difficult to persuade her to return to the lodge together.

Should I forcibly take her... I don’t want to do that.

Rustle...

While warming myself and thinking, an ominous sound came from the grass. The sound of something small and agile walking through leaves.

Rustle rustle...

The sound continued without stopping. It was probably a wild animal.

Since Taebaek Mountain had civilian access banned, the types and numbers of wild animals had rapidly increased. You never know what animal might appear. Roe deer or wildcats wouldn’t be much of a problem, but wild boars or wolves would be problematic.

Because sorcery doesn’t work on animals. Sorcery doesn’t work on entities without reason. Like demon species or magical beasts.

Snap!

Then, something jumped out of the grass. With sharply raised claws aimed at us.

"Marinette!"

I hastily used Marinette’s power. I planned to avoid the attack and then drive away the animal with flames.

However, Marinette’s flames were never used.

Growl, grrrrowl...!

Before I could even avoid the attack, the beast let out a faint cry and collapsed on the spot.

I couldn’t quite understand what had happened.

"What’s a so-called cult leader doing over one wildcat?"

Ha Su-yeong behind me muttered quietly as if pathetic.

I alternately looked at the wildcat sprawled on the ground and Ha Su-yeong. Voodoo magic power was flowing from her fingertips, and a spell circle was drawn in front of it.

Mew, mew, mew...

Faint cries came from somewhere. Baby wildcats that had been hiding were toddling toward their collapsed mother.

Meow, meoooow...

Three or four baby wildcats cried sadly. I examined Ha Su-yeong and the spell circle she had drawn.

Ha Su-yeong hunched her shoulders as if my gaze was uncomfortable.

"What, what are you looking at? I didn’t kill it. I just made it faint with fainting sorcery..."

As she said, the mother wildcat that had been collapsed soon came to her senses and got up. Then she disappeared into the forest with her babies.

"See? It didn’t die."

Ha Su-yeong sighed with relief only then. She seemed to have no awareness of what was special about her sorcery.

Generally, animals cannot be subdued with illusion sorcery. However, her illusion sorcery worked on animals too.

It was too valuable a talent to keep as an enemy.

I wanted to have it.

"You’re a bit different from the rumors."

"...What?"

Ha Su-yeong glared at me while frowning. Her voice was trembling thinly.

Even if I said something slightly annoying, she quickly became emotional. She seemed to have a very strong personality.

Rather, it was fortunate. Without needing much effort, if I just dangled the bait slightly, she seemed like she would take it herself.

"The executives called you a genius, so I had some expectations."

"What do you mean by that?"

She spat out irritated words. Then she approached me while emitting Voodoo magic power from her fingertips.

I let out a sneer toward her.

"What would I mean?"

"Do you want to die? Should I knock you out with fainting sorcery and bury you in the mountain?"

Ha Su-yeong said with a distorted face. The anger in her expression was clearly visible beyond the darkness.

She was rougher-spoken than I thought. But the flow of conversation itself was positive.

"Try it. Looking at how you use sorcery, it doesn’t seem like I’d even get dizzy, let alone faint."

"...Ha!"

Ha Su-yeong let out a hollow laugh as if incredulous. Fire was blazing in her eyes looking at me.

"Want to make a bet? Whether I can knock you out with sorcery or not. If I win, you get buried in the mountain."

"If I win?"

"What are you talking about? I’m going to win."

Ha Su-yeong said as if it was obvious.

It was a bit absurd. She didn’t seem to even consider the possibility that she might lose.

"If I win, you’ll obediently listen to me."

I casually suggested to her. Ha Su-yeong smirked.

"Go ahead. Do you think you can win? Idiot."

Finally, she took the bait.

The Voodoo magic power she emitted began forming into a spell circle at a frighteningly fast speed.